Still Here

by Takeshi1225

Based in Sonic X. What if in the moments that he had when falling to Earth, Shadow heard Maria's voice, pleading for him to live, giving the Ultimate Lifeform the strength for one last Chaos Control to save himself? Now with a second chance, Shadow navigates his new life with former enemies now allies and new enemies upon the horizon. No matter what happens, he will still be here.

5. An Unexpected Date

Still Here

Chapter 5: An Unexpected Date

It had been three days since Eggman's arrest. The world was at peace and better off with the mad doctor behind bars.

It was the start of the weekend, and a certain black and red streaked hedgehog had already planned a little R for himself.

Shadow made his way into the garage and turned on the lights to find something beneath a tarp. He walked over and pulled it off to reveal a motorcycle that looked similar to a 2003 Harley Davidson XL1200 Custom Anniversary Edition chopper.

Shadow smirked as he stared upon the machine. Even with G.U.N.'s logo on it, which still gave him mixed feelings, he still thought it was a thing of beauty.

It was his new motorcycle which he affectionally called "Dark Rider."

Despite not needing any vehicle since he was faster than any one on this planet, this was a very good-looking bike.

So good looking that he wanted to work on it today. He planned to tune it up and then go for a ride. He planned to travel around for the day. Something he said he would do fifty years ago.

Although, he didn't plan on it being done by himself.

Pushing that thought aside, he grabbed the tools and proceeded to work on the motorcycle. It was in good shape and only needed a little bit of tuning up, so it wouldn't take long for him to get out there on the road.

.

.

Chris was in the living room with Cream, Cheese and Vanilla with the boy currently reading a book, Cream and Cheese playing with blocks and Vanilla watching the news.

Coincidentally, the news was talking about something relating to both Sonic and Shadow. Of course, Scarlet Garcia was the one making the report, like she normally does on the news.

"City Park has been overrun. Overrun by fitness fans obsessed with running and even skating. This new craze is thanks to the hedgehog duo of Sonic and Shadow. Their heroics are inspiring citizens to put on their skates and jogging shoes to go out and move just for fun." Scarlet reported as she turned towards the nearest jogging citizen to get a word with him. "Why did you decide to take up running, sir?" Scarlet asked the man, who was wearing a Sonic shirt.

"I dunno. Sonic has such a great time racing around, I thought I'd try." The man said with a smile as he wiped his brow of sweat.

"Check this out!" A kid shouted, making Scarlet turn to see a boy with some friends skating down the road as the boy then leaped and skated onto a nearby bench and hopped off as he landed upon the ground.

"So cool!" A girl within the group of friends said as she and the others were in awe of their friend's accomplishment.

"Excuse me, kids. I wanted to ask, why did you decide to take up skating?" Scarlet asked the group of children.

"Because of Shadow!" A tall boy with a black and red helmet said with an excited smile.

"Yeah, he's the coolest!" A girl with glasses said just as excited as her friend.

"The way how he travels around is just too cool! One day, I want to be as cool as he is, so that's why I'm giving it my all to be a pro at skating!" The boy who did the trick said with a confident smile.

The kids then skated away, off to have more fun, leaving an amused Scarlet, who smiled happily to see children so enthusiastic, all thanks to the influence of the once misunderstood hero.

"School officials and athletic coaches report that their track programs are more popular than ever, and new records are being set daily. Experts in sports psychology are baffled by the sudden turn of events-"

"SONIC!" Screamed an angry female voice causing Chris, Cream, Cheese and Vanilla to flinch with looked of surprise as just then Amy burst into the room.

"Hi, Amy." Chris greeted the pink hedgehog.

"What's wrong?" Cream asked with concern as Amy hopped onto the coffee table.

"Alright, where are you hiding, Sonic? You better come out now!" Amy ordered, looking around for the blue hedgehog.

"He's not here." Chris answered only to then be put into a headlock by Amy.

"You can't fool me! I know you're hiding, and Chris is covering for you so come on out, Sonic!" Amy exclaimed as she pulled out her hammer.

"I'm not covering for him! Sonic was here earlier, but he left, and he didn't say where he was going." Chris quickly explained.

"Chris is telling the truth, Amy." Cream said, trying to help her human friend.

"Chao!" Cheese agreed, trying to help alleviate the situation like Cream was.

Amy growled with anger but after a moment, she just sighed in defeat.

"Forget it." Amy said as she released her hold on Chris. "I knew it was too good to be true." She lamented as she sat down atop the edge of the coffee table.

Chris and Cream blinked their eyes in surprise as they looked towards one another in confusion.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Chris asked, now filled with concern for his pink friend.

"Sonic had asked me out on a date the night we came back from the party… and he forgot. The better question is: How is any of this right?" Amy said with a frown as she looked downward.

"Is that all?" Chris asked.

"You know, you're really bad at understanding girls, Chris!" Amy reprimanded the boy with an annoyed frown.

"I'm just a twelve-year-old boy! What makes you think I would know anything about that?" Chris defended himself.

"Well, for one, when a guy a girl clearly likes asks her out on a date, he has to deliver on that promise! It took Sonic forever to ask me out! I was so excited that I went out and bought new shoes, and a new hair ribbon!" Amy said gesturing to her bright red sparkling shoes that were white at the ankles and her hair ribbon with had an ornament of a white flower on it.

"You look very nice, Amy." Cream complimented her friend, hoping that would alleviate her troubles a bit.

"Thanks… but I guess it doesn't matter since Sonic stood me up." Amy said, hanging her head with a hurt frown as she then started to cry.

"I'm sure there's a good reason Sonic missed your date." Chris said, trying to comfort his friend with a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Amy asked as she kept crying.

"Well, maybe he… I know! He had to stop Eggman from destroying the planet!" Chris suggested.

"I thought Dr. Eggman was in prison thanks to Shadow and his team." Amy said with an annoyed frown.

"Yeah, I forgot." Chris said, now feeling stupid.

"Just like Sonic forgot our date." Amy said, looking to the side with hurt, angered eyes. "I wish he could be more like Shadow."

"What?" Chris questioned as he, Cream, Cheese and Vanilla were surprised by this claim.

Amy didn't register their shock. She knew what she said. It sounded weird, but it also felt natural to her. So far, Shadow hasn't let her down like Sonic did. She could always count on Sonic to help save the world, but aside from that, not really much else. At least in the things Amy wanted out of him.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get that." Amy said as she hopped off the coffee table and made her way over towards the door.

"Poor Amy." Cream said with a sad and empathetic expression.

"That was very rude of Sonic. If he's going to get jealous and ask Amy out like that, he should be more mindful of both their feelings." Vanilla said with a disapproving frown.

"Jealous?" Chris questioned, as he and Cream looked towards Vanilla in surprise and confusion.

"Hello?" Amy opened the door to see Sam Speed in his civilian attire.

"Hey, is Sonic around, Amy? I just put a new engine in my car, and he said he'd race me." Sam said with a smile.

"Back at it again, huh?" Amy said, seeing that Sam's rivalry with Sonic will never change.

"I can't wait! My new engine runs on high octane rocket fuel! It's got more horsepower than you can find at a rodeo! With this baby under the hood, I'll be taking a victory lap before Sonic leaves the starting line!" Sam said with a proud, excited grin.

"Hi, Uncle Sam." Chris greeted his uncle as he, Cream and Cheese arrived to find he was the visitor.

"I hope Sonic's not getting cold feet. When I called him this morning, he said he didn't have anything else to do today." Sam said, causing Chris, Cream and Chesse to flinch in fear as they then noticed Amy shaking with rage. The scared trio huddled together in fear as a result. "What's wrong? You look steamed." Sam said, noticing Amy's demeanor.

"Sonic had a date with me." Amy growled out in anger.

"Is that right?" Sam said, surprised by this news.

"Yeah… but I guess that's nothing to Sonic." Amy said as she walked pass Sam and headed down the porch stairs.

"That's a surprise. I thought she'd be angrier than that." Sam said.

"Yeah. Me too." Chris said in surprise.

"Amy must be more hurt that we thought." Cream said with a worried and saddened frown.

"Sure looks that way. When a woman yells at you that's one thing, but when she walks away without bothering to do so then you know you messed up big time." Sam said with a frown, knowing not to take the situation lightly. "Well, this is a bummer. Looks like Sonic made two different appointments and stood both of us up."

"That doesn't sound like Sonic." Chris said, not believing his hero could do such a thing.

"The truth is, Sonic doesn't care about me." Amy said as she stopped by Sam's car.

"That's not true, Amy." Cream said as she and Chris, with Cheese in her arms, walked over towards her.

"Sonic's a busy guy. I bet it takes lots of patience to date him. Not to mention a real pair of excellent running shoes to keep up with him!" Sam said, trying to alleviate the situation with a joke as he laughed boisterously.

"Uncle Sam!" Chris reprimanded his uncle for such a tactless action.

"Whatever. I don't need Sonic. Not in this way." Amy said as she leaned against Sam's car, causing her friends to look at her with concern.

Just then, the sound of a motor engine was heard revving up.

"What's that?" Chris wondered aloud.

"It ain't my engine. That thing doesn't start without me behind the wheel." Sam said.

Coming out of the garage came none other than Shadow on his new motorcycle, Dark Rider. He drove his way over towards the front gate, only to notice the others, but none more than Amy, who looked depressed. Despite having plans of his own for the day, he decided to stop and see what was going on with her.

"Whoa, Shadow! When did you get that?" Chris asked, in awe of the cool-looking bike.

"It was dropped off just the other day." Shadow answered.

"Nice ride, but I doubt that thing could beat mine." Sam said with a smirk.

"Why bother? Whatever you drive hasn't beaten Sonic yet, so it's nowhere close to catching up to me on foot." Shadow retorted.

"I could prove you otherwise! I just got this new octane-"

"What's the matter with you?" Shadow asked Amy, completely ignoring Sam.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Sam said annoyed.

"Sonic didn't show up for our date." Amy answered.

"And just when I thought he couldn't have been more careless." Shadow said with a disapproving frown.

"I guess he's just full of surprises." Amy said, looking towards the side.

Shadow noticed the hurt in Amy's eyes. It was pretty gut-wrenching to see.

"Is dating the Faker really this important to you?" Shadow asked.

"Not anymore." Amy admitted with a frown.

"Amy…" Chris said her name as he, Cream, Cheese and even Sam were surprised on how hurt she is.

"Why should it be? I was looking forward to a date, but now I'm alone. I'd rather do anything else than mope around here." Amy said as she rubbed her finger on Sam's car hood in a circular motion.

Shadow blinked his eyes as a thought came to mind.

"Hop on." Shadow said, catching everyone's attention.

"Excuse me?" Amy looked at Shadow in surprise.

"You said you'd rather do anything than stick around here, right? Well, I'm not sticking around here for the day either." Shadow said.

Amy blinked her eyes in surprise before a smile came to her face.

"Right! No need to mope around here all day!" Amy said with a bright smile as she pushed off Sam's car and quickly hurried over, getting onto Shadow's motorcycle, now sitting behind the dark hedgehog.

"I didn't get helmets yet. Sorry." Shadow told the pink hedgehog.

"Don't worry about it. I'm a tough girl, remember?" Amy said with a confident smile.

"Hmph." Shadow looked ahead to hide the smirk on his face from Amy's response. "Hang on tight." Shadow told Amy, who then immediately wrapped her arms around Shadow's torso as the dark hedgehog then rode away with her.

"See you guys!" Amy called out to her friends as she and Shadow rode out of the gates and headed off on the open road.

Chris, Cream, Cheese and Sam blinked their eyes, all in shock at what had just happened.

"Did… did Shadow and Amy just head out… on a date?" Chris asked, flabbergasted by what he witnessed.

"Whoa. Looks like Sonic just lost his girl." Sam said with his hands on his hips.

"This is crazy." Chris said, still in shock.

"I don't think it's that bad." Cream said, surprising Chris and Sam. "Amy's been waiting to go out with Sonic for a long time, but at least she'll have fun with Mr. Shadow."

"That's true." Sam agreed.

"Yeah, I guess Sonic doesn't take dating as seriously as Amy does, and apparently not as much as Shadow." Chris joked with his hands behind his head.

"I think that's awful!" Cream said with a deeply disappointed and mad expression as she walked away with Cheese, who mirrored her expression, both not appreciating Chris's behavior to boot.

"Hey, don't get mad at me! Get mad at Sonic!"

"Speaking of the guy, I wonder how he's going to react Shadow taking his girl like that." Sam said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Hold on, Amy isn't really Sonic's girl. They aren't a couple." Chris reminded his uncle.

"You say that, but there's more to love than just that, Chris. Just because you aren't official yet doesn't mean there isn't something there." Sam said to his nephew, who blinked his eyes in confusion.

.

.

Shadow and Amy rode down the road outside of Central Square on Dark Rider. The dark hedgehog focused on the road ahead, but he couldn't help but take note of how quiet his passenger was being.

As far as he knew, quiet was the last thing to call Amy.

He didn't have to turn around to tell that the female hedgehog had a melancholic expression on her face.

"Why are you so quiet?" Shadow asked, despite knowing the answer.

"I thought you'd prefer things to be a bit quiet." Amy said with a slightly amused smile, but sadness still reflected in her eyes.

"Maybe, but it doesn't suit you. You're one of the few I'm okay with when speaking your mind." Shadow admitted.

Amy looked up to Shadow with a surprised expression, before looking downward with an affectionate smile and blush, which went unnoticed since Shadow's eyes were on the road.

"It's just… Sonic can be the most self-centered guy I ever met. He's always running off on adventures without telling anybody… and I end up alone." Amy lamented.

"Not completely true. You're never really alone. There are others." Shadow said.

"Yeah… but, well… I meant more than just friends." Amy confessed as she then looked up towards Shadow to see if he reacted to her words. All she saw was his silent, stoic expression as he focused ahead on the road. "I guess I shouldn't expect such things." Amy said, looking downward again as her words held double meaning.

"Not from him." Shadow said, catching Amy's attention. "He can't stop moving. If he did, you'd appreciate it, but it wouldn't really be something Sonic would do, would it?"

"True." Amy relented as she looked downward again. "I just wish some guy would do that for me."

"It doesn't have to be Sonic." Shadow said, causing Amy to look up at him with widened eyes.

After a moment, Amy looked down with a warm smile and even warmer cheeks.

"Yeah… I guess it doesn't." Amy said as she instinctively wrapped her arms tighter around Shadow.

The dark hedgehog noticed this, sparing the girl a glance to notice her smile and blush, before looking ahead, trying to regain focus on the road. He felt his own cheeks heating up, but he focused on ignoring it to keep attention on the road ahead.

Now that he was here with her sitting behind him with her arms wrapped around him, he couldn't help but wonder why he had come to care so much? Was it because she showed care to him first? Was it because she helped him by stopping him from making the worst mistake of his existence? Was it because of… hormones? Or was it because she reminded him of Maria?

No… it was more than that. There was something to Amy that reminded him of Maria when it came to her empathy for the world, but there was more there. There was a similar light between them. Maybe that was it. Maybe that's what he appreciated most.

After all, could a shadow exist without a light?

Never.

Without one… there would be only darkness.

Still though, these weird feelings he had… is that even a good thing?

Maybe if he wasn't the Ultimate Life Form. It sure would make things simpler. However, Shadow was never meant to live a simple life. That's the cards he's been dealt.

Yet the idea of a simple life… that idea was given to him by the one he cared for the most long ago. Even now. He was here because of her.

Right now… she was here because of him.

That thought, however, wasn't about Maria.

'What's been happening to me?' Shadow thought to himself.

"Shadow." Amy spoke, earning the black and red hedgehog's attention. "Do you mind… if we go to the beach?" Amy asked, a bit bashfully.

"The beach, huh?" Shadow said to himself. "Sure." He answered, causing Amy to smile.

"Thank you." Amy said with a warm smile as she actually nuzzled her head against Shadow's back, causing said Ultimate Life Form's eyes to widen.

Here come those odd feelings again.

'This is going to be a long day.'

.

.

Sonic was running through a warehouse district. He had decided to take a quick run around this morning but upon looking at the time from a public clock, he realized that he was late for his date with Amy. A date that he had asked her out on.

He quickly made pace to rush his way back to the Thorndyke Estate.

He just couldn't miss this date.

It's funny. In the past, he would not have acted in such a manner that he would just rush back as fast as he could for a date with Amy. Not out of obligation, but because he really didn't want to miss it.

It was all thanks to this odd feeling he's been having.

This odd feeling compelled him to ask out Amy, and now it was this odd feeling that was ordering him to hurry back before it was too late.

But too late for what?

When he thought about it, an image of black and red came to mind, causing him to gasp in shock before increasing speed.

Just as he was nearing the border of the warehouse district, a tank broke through one of the buildings, forcing Sonic to leap away from being squashed like a bug.

Mischievous, childish laughter was heard causing Sonic to look up to see Bokkun atop the tank.

"What a coincidence running into you!" Bokkun said with a gleeful smile. "I have an idea! Let's play a game! A shell game!" Bokkun said as the tank tried running Sonic over, forcing him to leap over it and land on the other side. "Fire!" Bokkun ordered as the tank's gun turned and fired missiles at Sonic, forcing the hedgehog to lean back to dodge, only for the barrel of the tank's gun to be in his face. "Get him!" Bokkun shouted as the tank fired. Looking over, the little horned robot noticed nothing but a crater. "All right!" Bokkun cheered with victory, only to notice Sonic laying on the tank's gun nonchalantly before standing up on it.

"Sorry, Bokkun, but I don't have time for games." Sonic said with a frown and his knuckles against his hips.

Sonic then leaped off the tank before going into a spin dash and speeding around the tank in a circular motion, creating a Blue Tornado in the process.

Bokkun let out a scared yell as he and the tank rose up from the ground and spun with the vortex before being sent flying away.

Sonic stopped before rocketing upward and delivering a hard homing attack that broke right through the tank, causing it to explode and sending Bokkun flying away.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Eggman!" Bokkun called out as he was sent flying away.

Sonic landed upon the ground as he looked up towards where Bokkun was sent flying.

"So, that's what he was planning. To break out Eggman. Well, better luck next time." Sonic said before dashing away, proceeding to get to the Thorndyke residence.

.

.

Crystal blue, bright and clean. That's what one would describe the ocean right now, and Amy was one of them.

She and Shadow had arrived at the beach, now on the road beside it, both stared at the vast blue with Amy in awe and Shadow keeping his usual expression, but with a sense of serenity hidden within his eyes.

Amy hopped off Dark Rider and hurried down towards the sand with Shadow following at a much calmer pace.

Amy stopped a bit away from where the sand met the waves. She stared at the crystal blue water before her with eyes sparkling with wonder.

Shadow stopped beside her, staring at the water, not feeling wonder like his date was, but he did feel a form of at ease. The sound of the crashing waves somehow gave out a rhythm that was almost like a soothing melody and how the light reflected off the surface of the water did provide a luster that was intriguing to the eyes. Which was odd because it was just water, and yet it was a pleasing sight, nonetheless.

"Sorry." Amy apologized.

"Hmm?" Shadow looked at her in confusion.

"I wanted to come here because I figured it would be the last place we'd bump into Sonic. Knowing how much he doesn't like water and all. Sorry if I dragged you to someplace that doesn't seem all that special." Amy said, feeling a bit dumb over her selfish desire.

"I wouldn't call it that." Shadow said, surprising Amy. "I know it's just water, but for some reason there is something special about it. I just don't know what." Shadow said, staring at the sparkling ocean before them.

"You don't have to understand it. Feeling it is more than enough." Amy said with a smile.

"I suppose you're right." Shadow conceded, causing Amy's smile to widen before she looked back towards the ocean.

The pair stared off towards the beautiful blue, enjoying the silence and serenity of the moment.

No words needed to be said.

Just standing here with someone they trusted was more than enough.

After a while, Amy noticed something washing up on shore. It was a pretty looking shell. Walking over, she knelt and took it in her hand. Smiling down at it, she stood up and showed it to Shadow.

"Look."

"… It's a shell."

"Well, yeah, but it's not just a shell. It's a memento now. A memory of our time together here." Amy explained.

"Isn't remembering it enough?" Shadow questioned.

"Not always. As much as we want it to. Having something that's a reminder will make sure we keep treasuring what we had for as long as we're around. Even if that reminder is just a small, little shell." Amy explained, smiling down at the shell.

Shadow blinked his eyes in surprise. He didn't expect Amy to be so insightful, let alone make something that seemed miniscule and pointless into quite the opposite. This girl really was full of surprises.

'Even something as miniscule as this is given meaning.' Shadow thought as he stared at the shell.

"I should have brought a purse with me to keep it in." Amy said, looking down at the shell as well. "Although, I don't have one. I really should get one someday."

"We could get you one right now." Shadow suggested.

"Huh?" Amy looked at him in surprise. "Wait, are you suggesting going shopping?"

"Is that a problem?" Shadow asked.

"No! It's just… well, I never expected a guy to actually suggest it. Normally, boys don't like shopping, unless it's for toys or something else they consider cool." Amy said, rubbing the back of her head with a bashful smile.

"Well, fortunately, I'm not a boy." Shadow said.

"Right. You're the Ultimate Life Form." Amy said with a bright, amused smile.

"Hn." Shadow nodded in response as he turned towards the direction his motorcycle was in. "Are you ready to go?" Shadow asked.

Amy gave the ocean one last look before turning back and answering.

"With you? Anytime." Amy said with a bright smile.

Shadow blinked his eyes in surprise at her claim before looking ahead to hide the redness of his cheeks.

The two head over and got back on Dark Rider as they rode away.

As they rode onward, Amy looked towards the dazzling blue sea once more to take in the view again. She then looked up towards Shadow, focusing on the road once more. Amy's cheeks blushed as she then rested her head against his back, enjoying the ride she was lucky to share.

.

.

Sonic rushed through the streets as he soon made it back to the Thorndyke residence. It took longer than he had expected or hoped, and no doubt Amy is going to be very upset with him, but, hey, better late than never.

Sonic sped into the house and made his way into the living room to find Chris, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla and even Sam, but no Amy.

"Hey, has anyone seen Amy?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic!" Chris was surprised to see the blue speedster had returned.

"There you are!" Sam said with excitement. "Come on! My car is outside, so let's race!"

"I can't, Sam. I have a date with Amy. Besides, I said I would race you later tonight." Sonic said.

"Oh, right. Huh, guess I was too early." Sam said, now realizing that he made a mistake, no doubt out of excitement. "Well, it doesn't matter now. You're pretty much free the whole day anyway so there's no point in holding it off."

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked with confusion.

"Oh, well, um, you see, um…" Chris wasn't sure how to word this.

"Amy left with Mr. Shadow." Cream answered in the Thorndyke boy's stead.

Sonic's eyes widened greatly with his mouth agape and shoulder's slump.

"Huh?" Was all Sonic could say as he was too much in shock.

"Yeah, sorry, buddy. You didn't show so she went off with the resident bad boy." Sam said with a shrug.

"Mr. Shadow isn't bad." Cream argued with a pout.

"Well, yeah, but it's just an expression." Sam said in his defense. "So, anyway, that makes you free then." Sam said, smiling at Sonic with hope and excitement, failing to read the room.

"Uncle Sam!" Chris scolded his uncle with a disapproving expression before looking towards his still shocked hero. "Uh, Sonic… are you okay?" Chris asked, concerned about Sonic's current state.

"… Sorry, I just blacked out there for a second. Did you just say that Shadow and Amy left? Together? Like… on a date?!" Sonic asked, still very much shocked by this development.

"Well… not a date per say~." Chris said, trying to ease the situation.

"Oh, no, it was a date." Sam said.

"Uncle Sam!"

"But he's right though. Shadow and Amy decided to go out and spend the day together. That's what a date is." Cream explained.

"She's right." Sam agreed with a shrug.

"B-But they're friends! Friends don't go on dates." Chris tried to argue.

"Uh, kid… everyone starts out as friends before they become a couple. At least, the sane ones." Sam explained, only for Sonic to then speed out of the room and out the house. "Hey! What about our race?!" Sam called out.

"I'm sure that is his last priority at the moment." Vanilla said with a calm expression and sporting a frown.

"The heck it is!" Sam shouted as he ran out of the house, quickly getting into his car and drove after Sonic. "No way am I letting this go! Not without a race! Racing Mode: Activate!" Sam pressed a button as his black and white striped car turned into a rocket car. "Like it or not, we're racing!" Sam said as he activated his rocket engine and chased after Sonic at high speed.

Chris had chased after his uncle, watching his rocket away after the blue blur.

"This whole situation is way too troublesome." Chris said with a frown.

"It's all Sonic's doing anyway." Vanilla spoke, causing Chris to turn to see her, Cream and Cheese at the door, seeing the whole thing as well.

"Isn't that a little much, Ms. Vanilla?" Chris questioned.

"I don't think so, Chris. Sonic put in the effort to ask Amy out, and he should have kept it. Especially since he did so to avoid the situation that he found himself in." Vanilla said with a disapproving frown.

"The situation? Wait, are you saying that Sonic asked Amy out because he was scared that she would go out with Shadow?!" Chris asked with a look of utter disbelief. "But that can't be!"

"The signs have been there for a while, Chris. Sonic noticed how close they were right from the start." Vanilla said, shocking Chris and even her daughter and Cheese. "If Sonic was so determined to make sure Amy didn't move on then he should have been more responsible with his actions. Now, he has no one but himself to blame." Vanilla said, showing a calm sternness that only a mother would have.

"So, Sonic really does like Amy as more than just a friend." Chris said, shocked by the whole detail. 'And now he's in a love triangle with her and Shadow. Things just aren't looking good.' Chris thought with a worried frown.

.

.

Shadow and Amy stopped by a general store in order to get a map to find the nearest city.

The pair got off and entered with Amy in the lead to see an elderly man with a mustache sitting in a chair and reading a newspaper.

"Hello." Amy greeted the store owner, earning his attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to buy a map."

"Sure." The old man said before noticing a male hedgehog behind the girl, who had his arms crossed. "Sonic?"

"Wrong." Shadow answered.

"Huh? Oh, no, this is Shadow. He's a friend of Sonic and mine." Amy explained.

"Well, I'll be. Friends of Sonic, eh? Well, that changes things!" The old man said with a bright smile as he retrieved a map and a small bag. "Here's your map. It's on the house."

"Really?" Amy was surprised.

"Sure. Any friend of Sonic is welcomed around her." The old man said with a smile.

"I take it he helped you." Shadow deduced.

"He sure did. I tried teaching my grandson how to ride a horse, only for a snake to spook it, causing it to run off with my grandkid. I wasn't able to catch up because of my age, but luckily Sonic had arrived and saved him. I couldn't have thanked him enough. I owe him more than I could ever repay. Had he not been there, I don't know what would have happened, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been good." The old man recounted his experience with the blue blur.

"Had he not been there on the road like he normally is." Amy said to herself in a low tone.

"Hmph." Was all Shadow could utter as he started think that Sonic's might have an actual purpose to it instead of just being for his own personal pleasure.

"The welcome mat will always be out on my front porch for Sonic the Hedgehog, and any friend of Sonic is a friend of mine." The old man said with a bright smile before he handed Amy the map and bag. "Here take it, and some candy too. With my compliments."

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"Positive." The old man said with a nod. He watched as the pair thanked him and hopped onto Dark Rider. "Are you sure you're just Sonic's friend? You look like you could be brothers." The old man asked Shadow.

"Positive." Shadow answered as he started up Dark Rider.

"Goodbye! Thanks for everything!" Amy thanked the elderly man with a smile and wave as Shadow started to drive away.

"So long! And tell Sonic I said 'Hey'!" The old man called out, waving back with a smile still plastered onto his face.

As the pair got back onto the road, Amy was left in thought as she enjoyed some of the candy.

"He was there when he was needed the most." Amy said in a low tone. "Hey, Shadow… do you think there's more to what Sonic does than just running?"

"From my experience? There are some things, but always travelling seems to be his main driving force. He'll scour this whole planet any chance he could just because everything on it has something to offer. At least, that's the impression I have of him." Shadow answered.

"Yeah. That sure sounds like him." Amy said as she looked up into the blue sky. "I guess this planet just has that kind of effect on Sonic. It can bring out the best in him." Amy said before looking back at Shadow. "And you." She added with a smile.

Shadow glanced to her with mild surprise in his eyes before facing forward again.

Amy pulled out some candy and offered it to Shadow, who decided to accept it. He may not need to eat, but that doesn't stop him from trying some treats here and there.

"Where's the nearest town?" Shadow asked.

"Gimme a sec." Amy said as she checked the map. "It says there's a city a couple of miles away."

"Hmm." Shadow suddenly pulled out the Chaos Emerald he was entrusted with.

"Wait, you're going to use Chaos Control?" Amy questioned.

"There's more that I want to see." Shadow responded.

"I bet you're also curious to see what it's like to do it on a motorcycle." Amy teased.

"… No comment." Shadow said causing Amy to giggle. "Chaos Control!" He proclaimed, raising the shining emerald high as he, Amy and Dark Rider vanished from sight.

.

.

Sonic sped through the streets of Station Square. He didn't know where exactly Shadow and Amy headed off towards, but he was determined to scour the whole planet if he had to in order to find them.

The blue hedgehog was so focused on finding his fellow hedgehogs that he failed to notice the speeding rocket car catching up to him.

Sam growled as he kept pace with Sonic.

'No way I'm letting you run off without giving me a race!' Sam thought with his teeth grit.

Sonic on the other hand didn't even notice his presence. He definitely noticed when Sam cut him off.

"Huh?" Sonic finally noticed the rocket car speeding ahead of him.

"Ha! Passed ya!" Sam said with a victorious grin, only to notice the blue blur easily catching up to him.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Sonic asked with genuine confusion.

"What does it look like?! I'm racing you!" Sam answered with a raised voice.

"I told you I'd race you tonight." Sonic clarified.

"Make that right now!" Sam ordered.

"I don't have time!" Sonic retorted.

"Make time!" Sam shouted as he increased speed.

Sonic growled as he was in no mood for this. Sam was always the really stubborn type. He really knew how he could get on his nerves, just to settle something that he's failed over and over again. He respected his resilience, free-spirited nature and love for speed, but right now, he wasn't up to entertaining him this time around.

"Fine!" Sonic shouted before he sped so fast that he created a sonic boom.

Sonic easily sped pass Sam, shocking the man as he sped so far up ahead, he was no longer in Sam's sights.

"That's more like it!" Sam said as he increased speed, but Sonic was still too far ahead. "Full Speed!" Sam increased his rocket engine to max.

He was now at his ride's fastest, but even then, there was no sight of Sonic. Sam growled in frustration as he was just left in the dust by Sonic without a second thought. After a moment, he growled and let out a scream as he decreased speed. Soon, Sam's rocket car came to a halt as he made it outside of the city's limits.

Sam opened the rocket car's hatch, getting out as he took off his helmet, looking towards the distance where Sonic had run to and never looked back.

Sam was left behind, completely outmatched and defeated in the blink of an eye.

Sonic proved that he really still is the fastest thing alive, and considering who he's chasing after, Sam definitely was the runner-up. Not anymore.

He was… too slow compared to them.

"Guess you really weren't in the mood today… but that won't stop me. I won't give up. I'll just have to try harder. Someday, I'll catch up to you. The both of you." Sam said, never losing the light of determination within his eyes.

He lost today, but he will keep fighting his war.

.

.

Shadow and Amy had arrived in the city via Chaos Control, which admittedly, was even cooler to do on a motorcycle.

"So that's what it's like using the Chaos Control." Amy said, amazed by the experience.

"I'm surprised you aren't feeling lightheaded." Shadow said.

"I am a little, but I'm doing just fine." Amy said with a smile as she lightly rubbed the side of her head.

'Normally someone with a connection to the power of Chaos is able to handle it. I wonder…' Shadow took a curious glance at Amy, before focusing forward.

They rode around the city until they came upon the nearest mall. After parking, they went in with Amy leading the way. After all, she's been to malls lots of times, while this would be Shadow's first experience.

The pink hedgehog guided them into a shop which was best known for its fashion department.

"This is perfect!" Amy said with sparkling eyes as she held a bag with a red reflective surface with a gold buckle on the front and white strap.

"Good." Shadow said with his arms crossed. "Its design is similar to your dress."

"Guess that's why I like it so much." Amy said with a bit of an embarrassed blush.

"Let's go." Shadow said as he started heading out.

"Wait! Don't you want something too?" Amy suggested as she chased after the black and red hedgehog.

"I don't need a purse." Shadow said.

"I know that. What I mean is that we can shop for something that you'd like too." Amy offered.

"There isn't anything I need." Shadow said.

"You don't just shop for what you need. At least, not all the time. Sometimes it's just nice to shop for something that you want." Amy reasoned.

"There isn't anything that I want." Shadow said, looking towards the female hedgehog.

"That's because you aren't looking around." Amy said as she looked around herself until spotting something she thought would look nice on Shadow. "Like maybe this!"

Amy grabbed a jacket that was red with white sleeves and had the image of a Sakura tree branch on the back.

Shadow stared at it for a moment before giving his opinion.

"I could do without the flowers on the back."

"But~…" Amy chimed with a knowing smirk.

"… It's fine."

"That's sounds like a 'yes' to me!" Amy said with a bright smile as Shadow just sighed in response. "But if you want, maybe we can get one for you that's definitely more your style." Amy suggested, causing Shadow to raise an eyebrow.

After a little bit more shopping, Amy found Shadow a leather jacket, which he decided to wear as he did like it, especially with the sleeves able to be rolled up.

"Hmm. It's… definitely more me." Shadow confessed.

"Oh! I remember this outfit!" Amy said as she grabbed a specific outfit from a rack. "I first tried this on after the world stopped treating me and the others as a possible threat."

"You too, huh?" Shadow said, mildly surprised by this news.

"Y-Yeah. Humans can be… rather jumpy at first when it comes to things they don't understand." Amy said, looking to the side as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Preaching to the choir." Shadow said with his arms crossed. "Didn't we stay here long enough though."

"Just let me try this on one more time before we go, alright?" Amy said.

"Fine." Shadow said, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks, Shadow!" Amy thanked her fellow hog.

"I mean it though." Shadow said as she hurried off towards the changing room. "Hmph." Shadow just stood there with his arms crossed, waiting for Amy to get dressed. 'I still don't see how clothes can make someone so excited.'

"Ta-dah!" Amy revealed herself to now be wearing the outfit which looked to have a black sleeveless shirt and skirt that were connected as one piece with a high collar lavender blouse beneath that had loose short sleeves, tied around the collar was sapphire blue tie and wrapped around the waist was a yellow fabric acting like a belt with some of it hanging off to the side over her hip. "How do I look?" Amy asked, doing a little pose.

Shadow stared at her with widened eyes as a moment later his cheeks started heating up. He cleared his throat and quickly looked away to hide hid reddened cheeks.

"It looks… good on you." Shadow confessed.

"Really? Well, if you're saying that then I just have to get it!" Amy said with a bright smile, causing Shadow to give her a glance as his cheeks remained warm.

With that, the pair bought the outfits and Amy's new purse before heading back towards Dark Rider.

Shadow started it up as he and Amy rode off back onto the streets with the former wearing his leather jacket and the other now wearing the outfit she just bought.

"I'm surprised you're dropping the red for now." Shadow said as they rode through the city.

"It's just for the day. Besides, I felt like matching." Amy said with a smile only to get an eyebrow raise from Shadow. "Well, mostly matching. I just wanted to wear some black is all."

"You could just buy a black dress and wear a red jacket over it. Or vice versa." Shadow suggested.

"Oh my gosh! That sounds perfect!" Amy said with new excitement. "You turned out to be a great shopping partner, Shadow."

"Don't get used to it." Shadow responded causing Amy to giggle with amusement.

Amy looked around only to notice a nearby restaurant that specialized in Italian and ice cream.

"Hey, Shadow. You ever had pizza before?" Amy asked.

"I remember having some at one point on the ARK. Can't remember the taste though." Shadow answered.

"Then stop right there!" Amy said pointing towards the restaurant.

Shadow rolled his eyes but listened to Amy request as they stopped by the restaurant.

The two entered and decided on an outdoor seat.

"If there's one thing better than having pizza it's having it outdoors with wonderful company." Amy said with a bright smile and a pair of eye smiles.

"I suppose these people are good company. I just wish they wouldn't stare at us so much." Shadow said, looking towards the surrounding people in the outdoor dining section with them who couldn't help but continuously glance towards their direction.

"I was referring to you, silly." Amy said with a silent giggle, causing Shadow's eyes to widen a bit in mild surprise.

"Why do you have so much trust in me?" Shadow asked, still curious as to why Amy was always so compassionate to him.

"Because you're you. What other reason is there?" Amy responded.

After a moment of silence, Shadow responded.

"You really do remind me of her."

"Huh?" Amy tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"N-Nothing." Shadow said, looking away.

Amy could tell he said something over nothing, but she respected his privacy too much to pry it out of him.

"Thanks by the way." Amy said.

"For pizza?" Shadow questioned, looking back at her.

"Not that. Thanks for… you know… taking me with you." Amy said, looking to the side a bit bashfully with her cheeks heating up some as Shadow's eyes widened a bit. "I could have spent the whole day sulking, but you offered me the chance to spend the day with you, and I'm glad that you did. So far, I've had so much fun and to be honest, I don't think I would have this kind of fun with Sonic. At the beach, he would have raced around for the heck of it while I just wanted to watch the ocean, he wouldn't have the patience for shopping, and I think he'd be more into the pizza than talking to me right now." Amy said, looking down with her eyes softening with traces of melancholy.

"I don't know if I'd go that far. So far from what I can tell, Sonic isn't that way with someone he cares about." Shadow said, mainly trying to make Amy feel better. "At least, I hope not."

"Maybe… but I guess when it comes to matters of the heart that doesn't have to do with friendship, I'm just too used to Sonic disappointing me. Maybe I'm just being too much of a downer right now." Amy said with a bit of a disappointed frown on her face.

"Will pizza make it better?" Shadow asked, gesturing to a waiter walking over with their slices.

"It might." Amy said, now gaining a bit of a smile as the waiter placed their slices onto the table. "Thank you." Amy thanked the server with a smile, who smiled back and gave the pair a bow before leaving.

Amy had gotten a slice with grilled chicken and diced tomatoes as her topping while Shadow got a slice with pepperoni on it.

Shadow grabbed his slice and took a whiff of it.

"The smell is familiar." Shadow said.

"Try taking a bite. I bet it'll all come back to you then." Amy suggested as she held her slice in hand before taking a bite and moaning in delight.

Shadow just stared at the triangle shaped amalgamation of cheese, bread, sauce, pepperoni and grease for a moment or two before going ahead and taking a bite. When he did, his eyes widened in absolute shock as he felt memories flooding back to him to the point where he saw a visage of Maria across from him, having a slice of her own.

"It's good, isn't it?" Maria said with a bright smile.

'Maria…'

"Shadow?" Amy's voice echoed into his ears.

"Huh?" Shadow was brought back to his present reality to see Amy staring at him.

"It's good, isn't it?" Amy asked with a warm smile.

"It's… appetizing." Shadow said with his eyes closed.

"I thought as much." Amy said with a giggle, causing Shadow to blush. "Oh, nuts! I forgot to get napkins."

"Allow me." Shadow said as he placed his pizza down and hurried off.

Amy was a bit surprised by his sudden exit, but she didn't think much of it. After all, she trusted Shadow. No way would he just leave her high and dry like that. Not like Sonic.

Amy blinked her eyes in surprise. She couldn't believe how hung up she was on this. Then again, could she be blamed for it?

Normally, she was used to Sonic flaking, but this time it just hit her more because he was the one to ask her out.

Was she completely done with Sonic? She doubts it, but this was definitely going to leave a black mark in whatever relationship they had.

Amy sighed as she decided to stop thinking about Sonic.

Why would she when she had someone else just as important with her?

Just then she noticed napkins placed on the table, causing her to look to see Shadow looking down at her.

"Something on your mind?" Shadow asked, taking notice of Amy demeanor.

"Just thinking is all. Thanks for being with me." Amy said, giving the shadowy hog a warm smile.

"You already said that." Shadow said as he sat back down across from her.

"Right, but nothing wrong with saying it twice." Amy said with a giggle and pair of eye smiles.

"Hmph." Shadow couldn't help but give an amused smirk.

'Well, it's Sonic's loss.' Amy thought, surprisingly with a chipper smile as she enjoyed her slice.

The pair of hedgehogs enjoyed their slices in welcomed silence.

"I'm surprised that I could forget something like that. Especially since I haven't even felt the last fifty years." Shadow said, surprised that the greasy sliced product was very delicious. 'Then again, I was put through a lot of mental stress soon after the first time.'

"Actually, now that I think about it, how old are you really? Forgetting the fifty years in sleep that is." Amy asked.

"A bit tricky considering no one really keeps tabs of time in space. At least, for those who weren't scientists like Maria and I." Shadow said with his arms crossed.

"And that Commander guy from that party, right?" Amy brought up.

"Right." Shadow said looking towards the side in thought. 'If memory serves right, I do vaguely remember a child who tended to run away whenever he saw me.'

"So, you don't know how old you really are?" Amy asked.

"Between two and four years of age. That's the best I can recollect." Shadow answered with his eyes closed.

"That young?" Amy asked in shock.

"Yes. However, I was built with a body of seventeen years of age. The doctor said that for me, time wasn't really going to be too much of an important factor." Shadow added.

'He went through all that… so quickly.' Amy thought to herself with a sympathetic frown for the dark hog. 'Oh, Shadow.' Just then an ice cream float with two straws was placed on the table by the waiter. "Oh, uh, there must be some mistake. I didn't-"

"I did." Shadow spoke up, surprising Amy. "I thought you would like it."

"Oh. That's so sweet." Amy said with a warm smile as her eyes shimmered and cheeks heated up.

"Enjoy." The waiter said with a smile and small bow before he left.

Amy took a sip as she then moaned with delight.

"Mm~! Vanilla and strawberries! My kind of drink." Amy said with a bright smile.

"Figured it was. It's called a Sparkling Strawberry Float." Shadow said.

"Now that's a name." Amy said as she went back to enjoying her ice cream float, only to finally notice the second straw within it. "Oh."

"Hmm?" Shadow noticed Amy's eyes widening in surprise.

"They… put a second straw in it." Amy pointed out with her cheeks heating up some.

"I see…" Shadow looked at the second straw, a bit surprised that the staff thought the float was for them to share.

He reached his hand over to take it out, only for Amy to speak up.

"Y-You don't have to do that! We can share. O-Only if you want, that is." Amy said, glancing away with embarrassment as her cheeks heated up more and she brushed her fingers against her quills.

Shadow blinked his eyes in surprise before looking back at the float.

He didn't think to try it. Giving it to Amy was more his mindset, but not wanting to offend her kindness, Shadow decided to take a sip from the second straw.

"It's not bad." Shadow said.

"Maybe next time we could try one with coffee ice cream in it." Amy suggested.

"Deal." Shadow said with a nod, causing Amy to give him a warm smile.

The two proceeded to enjoy the sparkling strawberry float. With them sipping from their respective straws at the same time made Amy blush. This was something straight out those romantic shows she enjoyed.

The idea of sharing a romantic moment with Shadow of all people sounded crazy, yet here she was and enjoying it no less.

She always wanted to share this moment with Sonic, but now… she was happy that she was sharing it with Shadow.

.

.

Sonic had been racing at high speed on the road for miles fully intent on finding Amy and Shadow.

He didn't have a trace of where they went, especially since he didn't know if they left by car or some other means, but he knew it couldn't have been on foot since he made sure he checked all of Station Square first.

As he was running, he noticed that he was passing by a beach. As he looked out towards the one thing that was bluer than him, aside from the sky, he was reminded of the time when Amy had gifted him his charm bracelet. The same one she gave to him in the hopes that it would protect him, especially from water.

He hadn't worn that bracelet in a while.

He remembered that Amy once mentioned after that day that she wanted to visit the beach again, preferably with Sonic by her side.

He never upheld that promise.

Had he arrived for his date on time, perhaps he would have granted her that wish today.

Just then, the thought of Amy going to the beach with Shadow popped into his head, which caused a chill down his spine.

With a small growl Sonic increased speed and went so fast that he broke the sound barrier.

He was so oddly determined to find them both. What did he plan to do when he did? Who was to say, but one thing was for sure, he wasn't going to stop until he did.

.

.

Amy and Shadow had finished their meal and paid before leaving. As they were driving on the road to head out of the city, they discussed more about their own desires. So far, Amy was the one doing most of the sharing.

"You want to open your own restaurant?" Shadow questioned with a bit of surprise.

"That's right. After spending time with Ella and learning how to cook, I actually found myself enjoying it. Before the whole Chaos Incident, I bought and moved into a cheap apartment and planned to open up a diner and call it Amy's Kitchen." Amy said.

"Why didn't you yet? It has been a while since then, hasn't it?" Shadow asked.

"Turns out even opening a small place is pretty pricy." Amy said with a downcast expression.

"I'm sure Chris' family could help with that." Shadow pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't want to burden them."

"Believe me, you are not someone to be called a burden." Shadow said, causing Amy to blush with a grateful and touched smile on her face. Shadow focused ahead but he was in thought over what he had just discussed with Amy, only to then hear a ringing from his phone. He pulled out his phone and extended it to Amy. "You mind seeing who it is for me?" Shadow asked.

"Sure." Amy took the phone and checked the caller ID. "It's Rouge."

"Of all days… answer it." Shadow said, only to hear Amy clear her throat as she had a disapproving look on her face. "Please." Shadow said, earning a more approving smile from the pink hedgehog as she answered if for him.

"Hey, Rouge." Amy greeted the bat.

"Amy? What are you doing with Shadow's phone?" Rouge questioned with surprise.

"Shadow and I have been spending the day together." Amy answered.

"Oh. Like a date?" Rouge asked with a teasing yet knowing smirk causing Amy to instantly become flustered.

"Well, I mean… I guess you can call it that." Amy confessed with an embarrassed yet affectionate smile only for her to become more flustered when Shadow glanced towards her. "A-Anyway, what is it that you need?" Amy quickly asked the bat to focus away from Shadow's gaze.

"Sorry to say, but I have to cut your day short. Turns out satellites have picked up a suspicious armored vehicle heading in the direction of the prison that's holding Eggman." Rouge divulged.

"What?! A vehicle is on its way to free Eggman!?" Amy exclaimed in surprise only for Shadow to take the phone from Amy's hand.

"Where is it right now?" Shadow asked his partner on the line, only to perk his head upon her answer. "Is that right? No sweat then. We'll handle it." Shadow said before hanging up.

"We?" Amy questioned with surprise.

"Turns out it's headed our way." Shadow said as he pocketed his phone. "Hope you don't mind a detour."

"No way. I'm always ready for a little adventure! Besides, someone's got to stop Eggman from being free." Amy said with a motivated smirk as she readied her hammer.

"Hmph." Shadow couldn't help but smirk in response as he picked up the pace.

.

.

The old man from earlier was sweeping up the front of his general store, just humming a tune to himself. Just then he noticed something in the distance coming his way fast. As it sped over, it stopped in front of him with a gust of wind blowing by him in the process.

"Sorry about that." Sonic said.

"Oh, Sonic! How nice to see you." The old man greeted the blue blur with a pleasantly surprised smile.

"Hey, long time no see. How's it been?" Sonic greeted the old man, recognizing him from the time he saved his grandson from that crazy horse ride.

"Just fine. It's nice to see you." The old man said with a bright smile. "Oh, by the way, I just saw two of your friends earlier today."

"You did?" Sonic questioned with surprise as his eyes widened. "Were they a pair of hedgehogs?"

"That's right. A pink girl one and one who was black with a little bit of red. I swear he looked like he could have been your brother." The old man said.

"That'd be something." Sonic muttered to himself with an awkward frown at the idea. "Did you know where they went?" Sonic asked.

"They went on their way to the nearest town. I gave them a map. Need one yourself?"

"That would be great." Sonic said with much appreciation.

The old man went into his store to retrieve another map and handed it to Sonic.

"Here you go."

"Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it." Sonic thanked the man with a grateful smile.

"Anytime Sonic. You take care now." The old man said with a warm smile.

"Thanks. Back at ya." Sonic said before hurrying off as he waved the man goodbye. "Until next time!"

"See you around!" The old man called out, waving back towards the speedy blue hedgehog.

Sonic sped down the road as he opened the map and scanned through it to find the nearest town or city.

"They must have gone there. Alright then, better pick up the pace." Sonic said as he sped down the road.

.

.

Shadow and Amy made it out of the city and drove down the road where the armored vehicle would arrive from.

"Hold on, I thought Eggman was locked up in the prison at Station Square." Amy said, now realizing that they were far from their hometown where Eggman was supposed to be locked up in.

"That was a statement made in the hopes that in case anyone was planning to free Eggman that they would go in a different direction, buying the government time to retaliate. He's actually locked up in G.U.N.'s most fortified high security prison. A lot of good that false information did." Shadow said as he picked up the pace.

"I think I see something in the distance!" Amy said, noticing the dust cloud in the distance. "It looks like some crazy runaway train car! A not too friendly one." Amy said.

"That's got to be it." Shadow said. "How good are you with supersonic speeds?" Shadow asked Amy.

"With how many times I was grabbed by a high-speed robot or Sonic, I can handle it just fine." Amy said.

"Hang on and get ready." Shadow instructed with Amy nodding and readying her hammer.

Shadow pressed a button on Dark Rider as then powerful flames shot from out its exhaust pipes as it went faster than sound. As they were getting closer, they started seeing a much clearer picture of the vehicle.

Amy got it right on the money as the vehicle was designed like a train car, or more precisely the front car, also known as the train engine or locomotive, only this one had brown, yellow spiked armor and three metallic spines with multiple ridges on each.

"You got one chance." Shadow said.

"That's all I need." Amy said as she stood atop the seat of the motorcycle with her Piko Piko Hammer reared back.

Once they got in close range, Amy swung her hammer, striking the locomotive. Amy was forced to let her hammer go as it was indented into the locomotive. As she looked back, worried that her hammer strike wasn't good enough, the locomotive slowed down before it exploded.

"Nice work." Shadow said, causing Amy to laugh with victory.

"We did it!" Amy cheered with a bright smile only to notice how fast they were going. "Whoa… is this… how fast you and Sonic normally are?" Amy asked as her eyes stared forward with wonder.

"Close to it." Shadow said with a smirk.

Amy felt the wind speeding through her quills as she felt a rush of thrill jolting throughout her body from the sensation of being so fast.

"So this is what it's like." Amy said in awe.

However, she was so focused on the feeling that she lost focus on keeping her stance and almost fell off Dark Rider, had it not been for Shadow, who grabbed her hand.

"I got you." Shadow said as he pulled Amy back onto Dark Rider.

"Sorry." Amy said as she quickly wrapped her arms around Shadow to keep her grip. She stared ahead again feeling the rush of speeding close to sonic speed, but then her eyes looked up towards Shadow, who was focusing ahead with his usual strong look. Amy's cheeks heated up before she closed her eyes and nuzzled against the dark hedgehog's back. "Thank you, Shadow."

Shadow glanced down at Amy before gaining a faint smile. Shadow looked ahead only to notice something, or more specifically, someone speeding their way.

None other than the blue hedgehog who had missed out on his date with the pink hedgehog hugging him right now.

Time seemed to slow down as both parties passed by one another with both male hedgehogs glancing to one another, with Sonic possessing a look of shock at the sight of Amy hugging Shadow's back as they rode on the motorcycle while Shadow just gave him a stoic yet judgmental glance.

"Hmph." Shadow closed his eyes for a second before looking back ahead as he sped forward at near sonic speed.

Sonic skidded to a halt, watching the retreating pair on the chopper with a flabbergasted expression. After a moment of bewilderment he chased after them.

Shadow noticed Sonic chasing them, which he in fact predicted would happen, so he responded by taking out his Chaos Emerald.

"Chaos Control." Shadow said before he and Amy vanished off the road, leaving Sonic shocked by what had happened before the blue blur growled with a determined look as he increased speed, never giving up until he found them again.

.

.

Amy blinked her eyes in surprise as she felt the sensation of Chaos Control. She looked around to find her and Shadow off the road and near a mountainous area.

"Did you use Chaos Control?" Amy asked, noticing the more flowery and mountainous area they were in.

"I was getting impatient." Shadow said.

"Impatient? Why?" Amy asked with confusion.

"This is the place I wanted to get to." Shadow answered.

"This place?" Amy asked with new curiosity.

Shadow turned off the engine to Dark Rider and got off it.

"You don't mind walking the rest of the way, do you?" Shadow asked.

"No, of course not." Amy said with a soft smile as she hopped off the motorcycle and followed Shadow.

The pair hiked their way up the mountain. As they were getting higher and higher, Amy noticed there were collections of more flora around and those of different kinds. She even saw some deer and rabbits passing by.

It was beautiful to Amy, of course, but she couldn't help but wonder why it is that Shadow wanted to come here.

After a while, the pair made it to the peak where Amy saw the most gorgeous sight ever on a mountain side.

An immense bed of flowers surrounded the area with the flowers being patches of multiple colors, looking similar to a rainbow, with a large tree that had pure white flowers growing on it but also white flowers surrounding it as well.

"Wow~!" Amy said with sparkling eyes.

She then noticed Shadow making his way towards the tree. Curious, she decided to follow.

Shadow soon stopped in front of the tree. He looked up at it for a moment before gently placing his hand against the bark of it, gently brushing his hand against it.

"So this is what she wanted to see." Shadow said.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, now very curious.

"Maria. She wanted to see this place." Shadow shared.

"She did?" Amy spoke in surprise. "Wait, but how did she know of this place if she spent her life on the ARK?"

"The ARK doubles as a satellite that has advanced technology that can monitor anything within the universe for a countless number of distances. Several distance-worth the speed of light, to be frank. With it, Maria was able to see what the planet looked like from afar. I never knew this until… I saw her video logs." Shadow explained.

"Right. Rouge's gift to you." Amy recalled the bat G.U.N. agent giving Shadow Maria's Video Journal as a Christmas gift.

"This meadow and this tree… it's a match for the images she took using the ARK's camera system." Shadow said as he looked around.

"She really had an eye for beauty." Amy complimented as she too looked around at the area beautiful sight around her.

"Yes. She did." Shadow agreed. 'I just wish she had seen it with her own eyes.' Shadow thought to himself, closing his eyes as he imagined Maria's smiling face.

His ears picked up the sound of someone sitting beside him. Turning his head and opening his eyes, he could have sworn to see Maria sitting right beside him, before giving him a smile. Shadow blinked his eyes in surprise only to see the image change into that of Amy.

The pink hedgehog gave him a smile, which he responded with by closing his eyes again and facing forward.

Amy just rolled her eyes but retained her smile. At this point, she knew how Shadow behaved. Just because he acted one way, didn't mean he didn't feel the other. By that she meant she knew he wasn't being rude right now. It was just him acting his normal Shadow-y way.

Amy faced forward herself, deciding to spend time admiring the beauty around her in silence.

After a few moments, Shadow opened his eyes and looked at her. Seeing her serene expression with, dare he say, that beautiful smile on her face brought him a sense of ease that he had not felt since Maria. However, it felt different from how he felt about Maria.

With Amy… things felt…

Shadow looked towards the side, trying to calm his mind by taking his eyes off the pink hedgehog beside him. His eyes fell upon the ring of white flowers surrounding them. Despite trying to clear his mind of these odd feelings, he couldn't control what he did next.

Amy let out a peaceful sigh with her eyes closed. Just then, she felt something being placed within her quills. Opening her eyes and gently bringing her hand up, she realized upon touching what it was to find out that it was a flower.

Amy blinked her eyes in surprise as she then looked at Shadow.

Shadow kept his gaze forward, but for a moment, he glanced at her and gave her a small smirk.

Amy stared at him in surprise before he looked forward again. Amy looked downward with a touched smile and blush across her cheeks. Safe to say, she was pleasantly surprised.

For a hedgehog of his background, he sure knew how to treat a girl.

The question was, is it just his natural charm or did she have to thank Maria for teaching him a thing or two?

Either way, she could definitely say she was one lucky girl.

Both stayed there happily, enjoying the sight, not saying a single word.

The scene was just so perfect for them.

After a while, one of them spoke a word and surprisingly, it wasn't the pink one.

"Thank you." Shadow spoke.

"Hmm?" Amy looked up at Shadow in curiosity.

"This is actually better… with you around." Shadow confessed, causing Amy's eyes to widen with her muzzle turning red again.

"W-Well, things are usually better when you don't spend them alone." Amy said as she looked away with a bashful yet flattered smile as she held her reddened cheeks.

"I suppose they are." Shadow said, looking up towards the sky as his thoughts went back to Maria. 'Time up there was better with you, Maria.' Shadow thought with a somber gleam in his eyes. 'Time down here on the other hand…' Shadow looked at Amy, who looked back with a shine in her eyes and a bright, inviting smile on her face. 'It's almost as good.' Shadow thought with a smile before deciding to sit next to Amy. 'Or maybe just as good.'

.

.

Later in the day, Shadow and Amy decided to leave the area, but not before Amy wanted to take a look at the view from the peak which showed a beautiful valley with meadows of flowers and a river within it.

"Wow! Now this is a view!" Amy said with amazement.

"It's nice. Although, I think I might like the view in Alaska better." Shadow said.

"That's right, you went there to get me my flower. You got to take me there someday!" Amy said with a smile on her face.

"Just ask. We can always go whenever you want." Shadow offered causing Amy's smile to brighten more. Shadow looked back towards the view only to then notice something within the river. "Hmm?"

"What is it?" Amy asked with curiosity.

"There's something floating in the river." Shadow answered.

Amy looked at it, but from this view it was hard to tell. All she saw was a river and no animals aside from leaping fish. Never wanting to take any chances if something was in danger, she hurried down the mountainside to get to the river with Shadow following after her.

Once getting to the river, Amy finally noticed it was something rather sizeable floating along the river.

"There it is!" Amy pointed at it, only to gasp in horror when it collided with a rock. "Oh no!" Amy screamed out. Fortunately, the egg somehow survived but it continued to float farther down the river. "We have to help it!" Amy said with urgency as she was ready to rush into the river, only to be grabbed by the arm by Shadow.

"No, don't! You'll be swept up too. I'll get it." Shadow said before releasing Amy. Shadow then sped down the side to catch up to the egg and to gain enough speed as he then rushed towards the egg.

Thankfully, his air shoes helped him hover over the water as he managed to get to the egg, grabbed it and got to the other side. He flitted away and appeared back on the other side with Amy.

"You did it!" Amy cheered with a relieved smile as she hurried over to him.

"This isn't a normal egg." Shadow pointed out.

The egg was rather large, needed to be held in both of Shadow's arms, was white and covered in blue polka dots.

"I don't believe it! It's a chao egg!" Amy said with disbelief. "There must be a chao garden somewhere here."

"I don't know if they'll take it back. Look." Shadow showed off the crack on the side of the egg.

"Oh no~." Amy said feeling awful for the poor unborn creature.

"I don't remember any of Dr. Gerald's research mentioning that chao having the ability to heal others." Shadow said.

"Then we'll just have to take it back home! Maybe Chuck can find a way to help it." Amy suggested.

"I'm not sure he might be able to deliver." Shadow said.

"Well, we can't just leave him here. That would be awful!" Amy rebutted.

"Hmm." Shadow had to agree. So far, though Chuck wasn't a doctor, he seemed like their best bet for the situation. "Better grab on then." Shadow said as he took out his Chaos Emerald. Amy quickly grabbed onto Shadow, nodding that she was ready. "Chaos Control!" Shadow teleported them back to Dark Rider where they then rode off and used Chaos Control again to get them back to the Thorndyke Manor faster.

.

.

Sonic had been running around everywhere looking for Amy and Shadow. He searched high and low, but not a clue. After a while, he had decided to give up.

The thing is, he had plenty of time to look all over the country for them. He just decided to stop because he recalled the sight he saw. Not the look Shadow gave him, but the look on Amy's face.

The smile she had. She was genuinely happy. Happy that she was with Shadow.

Just remembering the sight… it just wracked him with guilt.

That smile she could have had by spending time with him

It really bugged him, hurt him even but it was his own fault.

He was the one who asked her out, so he should have made good on his word. He loves roaming the world to see new sights and get in a quick run, but he should have stuck around. At least, for today. For her.

After thinking about it, he decided to let things be. He felt that was what he owed Amy, and Shadow, to a lesser extent in his opinion.

Upon this decision, he decided to head back to the Thorndyke Manor. By the time he got to the front door and opened it, he heard some sort of noise making him turn around to see Amy and Shadow had returned on Dark Rider.

With all that running around it took going back to square one to finally meet with them again.

"Hurry!" Amy hopped off Dark Rider and rushed her way towards the house with the cracked chao egg in her arms.

"A-Amy! You're back!" Sonic was surprised and relieved to see the pink hedgehog. "Listen I-"

"Not now!" Amy exclaimed as she rushed back into the house.

Sonic blinked his eyes in surprise, not at Amy's response but from what he saw in her arms.

Shadow parked Dark Rider and followed Amy's lead towards the house.

"Was that a chao egg?" Sonic asked Shadow.

"It was." Shadow answered.

"Where'd you find it?"

"That's not important right now. It's damaged and Amy's worried sick over it." Shadow said.

"I would be too." Sonic said, now with a more serious demeanor as he followed after Amy with Shadow close by.

"Where's Chuck?" Amy rushed into the living room to find Chris, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Ella and Tanaka.

"Hey, Amy." Chris greeted her. "Sonic was looking for you."

"Who cares?! There are more important things than that right now!" Amy shouted, shocking everyone with what she said.

"Chao!" Cheese exclaimed with a look of horror.

"What is it, Cheese?" Cream asked her friend with concern before seeing them float over towards the egg in Amy's arms, finally noticing it. "Oh no!" Cream said with new worry and fear.

"What kind of egg is that?" Ella asked, very much shocked by the size and appearance of it.

"It's a chao egg." Amy answered.

"That's where a chao comes from?" Chris said with surprise as he and Cream walked over.

"Chris, quick! Where's Chuck?" Amy asked with urgency.

"Someone call my name?" Chuck asked as he and Tails walked into the room. "Whoa! Look at the size of that thing!"

"It's a chao egg!" Tails said with surprise as Sonic and Shadow walked into the room.

"It's hurt!" Cream pointed out with teary eyes. "We have to do something!"

"Chuck, is there any way you can find out how to help it?" Amy asked.

"Well, I could take a look at it. Maybe I can pick something up with it back in my lab." Chuck said.

"Lead the way!" Amy said with a determined expression as Chuck nodded and started leading her towards his lab. "Come on, Shadow!" Amy called out to the dark hog.

"Hmm." Shadow nodded in response as he followed after her.

Sonic frowned not only seeing Shadow going after Amy, but also the fact that she completely ignored him. Not like he didn't see why. This was karma for missing out on their date after all.

Sonic moaned with disappointment as he looked down with his arms crossed.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Chris asked.

"I… got something that I need to do." Sonic said with a new look of resolve as he hurried out of the house.

Chris blinked his eyes in surprise before frowning a bit.

'Sonic really is taking what happened pretty hard, isn't he?' Chris thought to himself. 'It's not like I can do anything about it. All I can do is hope that things will work out for the better.'

.

.

Chuck was using the computers in his lab to scan the damaged chao egg.

Amy and Shadow stood on the sidelines, waiting for the elderly Thorndyke's results with a worried look on the former.

After a while, Chuck finished his scans.

"Well, I found something that could help."

"What is it, Chuck?" Amy asked, praying for something good.

"I noticed that the egg has the same connection to the power of Chaos just like the Chaos Emeralds." Chuck informed.

"Makes sense. Professor Gerald discovered that the chao spring from the same life force as the entity known as Chaos who was likely a mutated chao himself." Shadow informed.

"And it's that connection that just might help it." Chuck said.

"So, we need a Chaos Emerald to help it?" Amy asked.

"That's one solution, but I thought of another that might suffice just as well." Chuck said, catching both hedgehogs' attention. "Shadow. Your body is built from the same source of Chaos, but it's more contained and in your control thanks to your Inhibitor Rings. It might be possible that by somehow sharing your energy with the egg that it can heal gradually."

"Why gradually? Why not just heal it in one go?" Amy asked with confusion and curiosity.

"Doing that might do more harm to the egg. An immense surge of Chaos energy all at once would cause more damage than what's already been dealt." Chuck elaborated.

"He's right. Even I can't hold together too much Chaos energy without doing immense damage to my body." Shadow shared.

"I guess that's why the Chaos Emerald wouldn't be the best option at the moment then." Amy said now getting the picture. "So, Shadow just needs to share a bit of his own energy to save the egg?"

"That's right. If he shares his energy with it periodically then it'll heal at a proper rate without any harmful side effects." Chuck explained.

Shadow looked towards the egg for a moment before walking over and taking it in his arms. He then proceeded to concentrate to pour a well-balanced amount of Chaos energy into the chao egg.

Amy held her hands together, silently praying for Shadow's success as she could see him in deep focus to help the innocent unhatched creature.

After a bit more time, Amy and Chuck noticed that the crack on the egg was healing.

"It's working!" Amy cheered with joy and relief.

Shadow continued to focus energy into the chao egg, but immediately stopped when it shook.

"I think I did enough. At least, for now." Shadow said.

"Looks to have been enough. The crack is healed. However, just to be on the safe side you should provide it with Chaos energy for at least twice a day." Chuck suggested.

"Understood." Shadow nodded in response.

"Give it here." Amy took the egg from Shadow's arm.

"Hmm?" Shadow looked at Amy with a raised eyebrow.

"This little guy right here needs someone to look after them. I know you're not going to be available all the time since you could be called any minute by Rouge to help the world, so someone has to look after it in those off times and that's where I come in. After all, you're not the only one here who came to their aid. Right now, taking care of it is both of our responsibility." Amy explained with a smile.

"Right." Shadow agreed with a nod, seeing Amy's point.

"Well then, I guess for the time being you two will be this little one's caregivers." Chuck said with an amused chuckle.

"What's with the laughter?" Shadow questioned, not seeing what was so amusing.

"Oh, nothing. Just remembering something from my youth." Chuck said with a dismissive wave. 'Like my days when I first became a parent.' Chuck thought with an amused and nostalgic smile.

While Shadow didn't get the gist, Amy sure did when Chuck referred to them both as this unborn chao's caregivers. The idea of her and the dark hog officially becoming something akin to parents made her blush big time.

"W-W-Well, we won't keep you any longer, Chuck! Let's go, Shadow." Amy quickly said, turning away to hide her blush and giddy smile as she walked away.

Shadow raised an eyebrow at this behavior but decided to shrug it off.

"Thank you for the help, Professor Thorndyke." Shadow thanked the scientist before him.

"Anytime. Take good care of that egg." Chuck said with a smile.

Shadow gave one last nod before following after Amy.

Up ahead, Amy was humming a happy tune with a pep in her step. She couldn't help but feel giddy. She looked down at the egg in her arms, feeling warm inside as she tenderly held the unborn creature in her arms.

"Don't worry, little one. Shadow and I are going to take good care of you." Amy said with a warm, caring smile. As she walked back into the living room, she was surprised to see the whole place decorated with flowers of all kinds and colors. "What in the-?" Amy questioned as she looked around in surprise and saw the equally surprised faces of everyone else that she had last seen within the room before she left earlier. "What happened?" Amy asked now very, very curious about the scene before her.

"Sonic came in with all these flowers and started decorating the place out of nowhere." Tails answered.

"Sonic did this? Why?" Amy asked as then the blue blur himself appeared in front of her.

"To say I'm sorry." Sonic answered. "Amy, I know you're mad at me, and you should be. I asked you out myself and I was late because I wanted to explore a little and get some exercise. Normally I don't sweat the small stuff, but this was a big thing for you, and I didn't make it my top priority. I don't know how long you'll be mad at me for, but I want you to know I'm truly sorry and I would never let it happen again. The only thing I would ask for right now is your forgiveness. You don't have to forgive me now, but I'll wait however long and work to earn it if you'll allow me." Sonic gave his heartfelt apology with all his remorse laid out within his tone and mirrored within his expression, especially within his eyes.

Amy had never seen Sonic act like this before. Lately he's been acting very differently towards her. She wasn't sure what was going on with him, but she will admit that she is happy to see him wearing his heart on his non-existent sleeves. It's just nice to know that he does care for her and appreciates her.

"I do, Sonic." Amy answered with a smile and nod causing Sonic to smile with relief and gratitude.

"So, uh… could I make it up to you with a do over?" Sonic asked.

"Now might not be the best time. Someday, but not someday soon. Especially not since I have to look after this little one now." Amy said as she gestured at the egg in her arms.

"You're going to be raising this egg?" Sonic questioned, looking at the polka dot egg.

"Yup. Along with Shadow." Amy added with a smile.

"Shadow too?!" Chris exclaimed as he and everyone else were surprised.

"Yeah. Since chao have a connection to Chaos energy like he does he's going to share his own energy with it from time to time so it can grow up to be healthy." Amy said, smiling down at the egg in her arms.

"Chao~!" Cheese chimed with joy as he floated over towards the egg.

"I guess that makes you very happy, huh, Cheese?" Amy said with a chipper and amused smile and eye smiles.

"Looks like Cheese is excited to make a new friend." Chris commented with a new smile.

"That would be great! Right, Cheese?" Cream said to her best friend with a bright, happy smile.

"Chao~!" Cheese agreed with a bright smile.

Shadow walked in to find the sight before him. Safe to say, he was confused, but he was not curious.

"Congratulations, Mr. Shadow." Tanaka said to the dark hedgehog with a small bow.

"With what?" Shadow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think he's talking about the chao egg." Tails pointed out.

"You and Amy are raising it after all." Cream said with a smile.

"Why does that require congratulations?" Shadow asked, still confused.

"Father of the year, I see." Sonic mumbled with a frown and arms crossed. "Hmm?" He then noticed that Amy had been blushing from Cream's statement, which caused him to sigh with disappointment.

"Chao~." Cheese floated up and laid his little nub-like 'hands' against the egg.

"Careful, Cheese. Shadow still needs to heal him twice a day, so for now please be gentle." Amy told the bowtie wearing chao.

"Wow, Amy. You sound just like a mom." Cream commented, causing Amy to flinch with a blush, while everyone else's eyes widened at her statement.

"C-Cream, please. Don't say such things out of the blue." Amy said with embarrassment but had a super giddy smile as she held her reddened cheek.

"Amy, are you sure you're going to be okay with this responsibility?" Ella asked with signs of concern.

"Raising a child is no easy task. It may be an egg now, but things will change when it hatches." Vanilla brought up.

"Whatever may come, I'll handle it head on. This little one needs care and I'm not going to walk away when it needs someone." Amy said with much conviction while giving a caring gaze to the egg in her arms.

Shadow looked at her as he was once again reminded of Maria. Amy's words stirred emotion in him as he then gazed down at the egg himself.

'I won't either.' Shadow silently promised.

Sonic was feeling a little heated over how Shadow was looking at both Amy and the chao egg, so he decided to intervene a bit.

"Say Amy, you could lay the chao egg on the flowers here. It'll work like a bed for it. At least, for now." Sonic said, gesturing to the row of violets and roses on the coffee table.

"Oh, good idea, Sonic." Amy said with an appreciative smile as she walked over and laid the egg down onto the blue and red flowers. "There you go, little one. Nice and comfy." Amy said, smiling down at the egg.

Sonic smiled at the sight before noticing Shadow stopping right beside him.

The two male hedgehogs gave one another a look displayed a sense of challenge towards the other. Both felt a strong sense of rivalry at the moment as they both knew that whatever they were going through was far from over.

While Amy, along with Cream and Cheese, were more focused on the chao egg, everyone else noticed the tension building between Shadow and Sonic. And to think, it was over the pink hedgehog who was now a sort of adoptive mother to the unborn creature she had her eyes on.

"It's like something from one of Mrs. Thorndyke's romance movies." Ella commented in a low tone.

"Hopefully, it won't end with such difficulty." Tanaka whispered back.

'Oh man… this is too much.' Chris thought with a frown.

.

.

Within Station Square's prison, Decoe and Bocoe were being secretly visited by Bokkun, who was reporting on the failed attempt to free Dr. Eggman.

"What do you mean the attempt failed?!" Bocoe exclaimed with annoyance.

"I-I kept Sonic busy like planned, but Emerl was stopped on the way to free Dr. Eggman." Bokkun said with teary eyes.

"Who could have done that?!" Decoe questioned with a displeased expression.

"T-This is what the Bomb Tank managed to capture before it was destroyed." Bokkun said as he took out his television set and showed the last image the vehicle had taken before it was destroyed by none other than Shadow and Amy.

"That Shadow the Hedgehog! He is becoming a major nuisance!" Decoe said with a now majorly displeased expression.

"And to think, he was made by Dr. Eggman's grandfather. The nerve of him to impede on the doctor's activities at every turn." Bocoe said with equal displeasure.

"The Ultimate Traitor is a more appropriate name for him." Decoe added.

"So, what now?" Bokkun asked.

"We'll have to think of something more elaborate." Bocoe said.

"What about waking him up?" Bokkun asked.

"That might not be the best option right now. It is unclear if he is ready." Decoe said.

"He's close." Bokkun pointed out.

"But not yet complete it seems." Bocoe rebutted.

"We cannot take any chances. Dr. Eggman desires him to be fully operational before he is to be released. Too soon and everything would go to waste." Decoe said. "Speaking of which, how is the New Death Egg coming along?"

"It's almost ready to fly." Bokkun answered.

"Good. With the notes Dr. Eggman procured at the Space Colony ARK, it will now be even stronger than the original model ever was." Decoe said with a fist pump.

"What of the gizoid?" Bocoe asked Bokkun.

"Beats me. I thought he just blew up with the Bomb Tank." Bokkun said with a shrug.

"Unlikely. Dr. Eggman said that its exterior was highly difficult to penetrate, even for his most powerful of weaponry." Bocoe stated.

"We'll worry about that another time." Decoe said before looking at Bokkun. "Bokkun, it would be best for you to leave right now before you are spotted. For now, lay low for the time being and return in a few days." Decoe ordered the smaller robot.

"Okay." Bokkun said as he quickly flew off, managing to escape the prison without being detected.

"This is much harder than we thought." Decoe said with a worry.

"Things were much simpler when Dr. Eggman helmed the leadership position." Bocoe said, hanging his head.

"Well, for now we just need to persevere until we manage to come up with a victorious strategy to release the doctor." Decoe said with a newly formed look of determination.

"You are right! For now, we will think over new strategies!" Bocoe said with equal determination.

"Hang on a little longer, Dr. Eggman! We will save you!" Both robots proclaimed.

"Keep it down in there!" A guard shouted out in the distance.

"Sorry, sir." Decoe and Bocoe said with nervous expressions.

.

.

Later in the evening, Cream was taking a walk around the Thorndyke house with Cheese held safely in her arms.

"It's getting late, Cheese. We better go inside, or Ella will be worried." Cream told her chao friend. "I hope she's cooking us a big dinner tonight because all that playing made me hungry."

"Chao~." Cheese agreed with a bright, big smile.

"You were really excited today, weren't you, Cheese? You can't wait until the egg Amy and Mr. Shadow are taking care of hatches and make a new friend, huh?" Cream said to her friend with a knowing, happy smile.

"Chao~!" Cheese cheered with a big, open mouth smile and raising his arms up in joy.

Just then, the pair heard a rustling in nearby bushes.

"Who's there?" Cream asked in surprise.

The young rabbit girl and Chao moved closer where they then came upon a damaged yellow and orange colored humanoid robot. Cream was hesitant to move closer but upon seeing how damaged and helpless the robot looked, she couldn't help but act on the kindness within her heart.

Cream carefully moved forward, knelt and reached out to the robot.

The robot's turn of the head made her flinch but as she saw it doing nothing but stare at her she reached her hand out fully and placed it upon the robot's shoulder. The robot noticed this and after a moment of examining the bunny girl's actions, designated her as a non-threat. It hung its head, resuming its rest as the bunny girl was now examining him.

Cream could see that the robot was no threat to her as well. In fact, she felt like he was no threat to anyone. That was more than enough for her to reach out to him.

'I have to get help from the others.' Cream thought to herself.

.

.

Inside, Amy was humming a small tune as she held the chao egg in her arms. She was even rocking it a bit, almost like it was an actual baby, all while Tails and Chris watched.

"Wow, Amy. It's only been a few hours, and you're already attached to that egg." Chris said to the pink hog.

"I guess I am, but I can't help it. She needs someone. Finding her feels like it was fate itself. Had it not been for Shadow, I wouldn't have come across them in the first place. I'm taking this as a sign that I need to be there for her, and when I see a sign, I don't just up and ignore it." Amy said with a smile.

"Her? You think it's a she?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Actually, the Chaos are genderless. It's why we don't call Cheese a him or her. Chao are just chao." Tails explained.

"If they did have a gender, I wouldn't care if it were a boy or girl either way. What matters is that they hatch and grow to be healthy." Amy said with a warm smile and eye smiles.

'Spoken like a true mother.' Chris thought with a small chuckle.

Shadow had been leaning against the wall, staring out the nearby window to see the Sun setting upon the horizon.

"Now might be a good time." Shadow said as he then pushed off the wall and headed towards Amy, catching the pink hedgehog's attention. "I'm going to go ahead and heal it, if that's alright with you." Shadow told female hedgehog.

"Oh! Of course! Go right ahead, Shadow." Amy said, giving the dark hog a smile that reflected the strong amount of trust she had in him.

Shadow nodded in response out of gratitude. As Amy was extending the chao egg with Shadow reaching for it, he stopped upon noticing three figures coming into the living room. The three were familiar figures, but while two of them he recognized in a positive light, those being Cheese and Cream, the third gave him pause.

Shadow's eyes widened in horror as he recognized the robotic figure. It was the same robotic being that he had seen fifty years ago back when it was wreaking havoc aboard the ARK.

The same figure that he was forced to fight in order to protect Professor Gerald and save the ARK.

"You!" Shadow said with urgency as he quickly got in front of Amy with his arms stretched out as he took a battle stance.

"Shadow?" Amy spoke the dark hog's name, surprised by his sudden actions.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Chris asked, now concerned about the quick defensive stance Shadow was taking.

"Mr. Shadow?" Cream was confused on why Shadow was acting the way that he was while the robot tilted its head.

"Cream, get away from him right now!" Shadow ordered, surprising the bunny girl even more, and even worrying her.

"Shadow, what's going on?" Chris asked with concern and confusion.

"Who is that?" Tails asked, now noticing the robot with Cream and Cheese.

"A threat!" Shadow said as he deepened his battle stance. "Everyone, move out of the way now!"

"No, wait!" Cream exclaimed with worry.

Shadow quickly went into action and pounced on the robot.

The robot looked at the pouncing hedgehog and quickly did a scan, taking note of his movements and memorizing it into its data banks. The robot quickly took a battle stance like Shadow's just a moment ago and was prepared for retaliation.

However, before either hedgehog or robot could duke it out, Cream quickly got in between the two with her arms spread out in defense.

Noticing this, Shadow quickly halted his attack and landed in front of Cream, stopping himself from causing any harm to the rabbit girl but keeping a firm stance just in case.

"Move out of the way, Cream." Shadow ordered.

"No! He's hurt! I can't just let you attack him out of nowhere like this!" Cream said with an expression reflecting her determination to protect the injured robot.

"Believe me, he's the one who would attack anyone out of the blue. Now, stand aside." Shadow warned the rabbit girl.

"Shadow, do you know who this is?" Chris asked.

"Yes. He's a battle-bot that Professor Gerald had discovered and took to the ARK during the early stages of my creation." Shadow answered, never taking his eyes off the gizoid.

"Say What?!" Chris exclaimed as he and the others were in shock.

"He was on the ARK fifty years ago?!" Tails asked in shock.

"He almost destroyed it fifty years ago! That's why I can't allow him to be operational." Shadow said, glaring at the yellow and orange robot.

"But he's hurt." Cream said with concern.

"He'll hurt you first, Cream. You're just lucky that he was too weak to do so." Shadow told the bunny before him.

"No! He's not like that! I swear!" Cream pleaded. "Look at him!" Cream gestured to the gizoid, who simply just stared at Shadow with no signs of malice coming from him.

"He does look harmless." Tails pointed out.

"That's how it started, but soon enough, he will become violent." Shadow said, never relenting.

Cream had a worried look of discomfort but remained strong in her stance to defend the robot with her.

"Chao~." Cheese flew over and hugged the head of the robot with a concerned look on their face as well, not wanting the bot to be harmed as well.

Shadow furrowed his brow as he was getting ready to act by moving Cream and Cheese out of the way, only to feel a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw none other than Amy with the chao egg in her other arm.

"I'm with Cream and Cheese." Amy said.

"You can't be serious." Shadow said with a disapproving frown.

"Shadow, look at him. You said you've met him before, but it looks like he doesn't even recognize you. I don't think he even knows where he is or what happened to him. Whatever you saw fifty years ago, I don't think it's there right now." Amy said, gesturing to the robot who was staring at Shadow out of curiosity.

"Even still, memories always come back. He can become a danger someday." Shadow retorted.

"All the more reason to help it down the right path. After all, everyone deserves a second chance." Amy pointed out, causing Shadow to look at her to see her compassionate smile.

He knew she was referring to him as well. She was using his turnaround as an example to defend the robot. As much as he hated to admit it, it was a good example. He did no better not too long ago.

When it came down to it, Amy was one heck of a talker, especially in heated discussions of morality.

After a moment, Shadow sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this.

"Fine." Shadow relented causing Cream and Cheese to ease up with relieved smiles while Amy had a proud smile on her face. "But know this, machine, if you threaten anyone, and I mean anyone in this household, I will end you myself." Shadow warned the gizoid with a stern demeanor.

The robot nodded in response, showing that it understood Shadow's words and warning.

"Tails, could you please help him?" Cream pleaded with the twin-tailed genius.

"Of course, Cream." Tails answered with a friendly smile.

"Great!" Cream said with a bright smile as she rushed over towards the fox with Cheese following. "Come this way." Cream gestured for the robot to follow her.

The gizoid started walking forward, causing Shadow to gently pull Amy away from it with his hand resting gently atop the chao egg.

Amy noticed this, which caused her to gain a warm smile with her cheeks getting even warmer.

"Did you come up with a name for him?" Tails asked Cream.

"I haven't thought of one." Cream confessed.

"Emerl." Shadow said, earning everyone, even the robot's, attention. "Professor Gerald had referred to it by the name Emerl." Shadow elaborated.

"Emerl. That's a cool name." Chris commented with a smile.

"Come this way, Emerl." Tails gestured for the robot to follow, which it did, alongside Cream and Cheese.

Shadow let out a small growl as he kept a stern gaze on the retreating Emerl.

"It'll be fine." Amy said upon noticing the dark hog's demeanor. "Here." Amy extended the chao egg to Shadow.

Shadow decided to put his reservations over the situation with Emerl on the back burner in order to focus on the chao egg's recovery. He took it in his arms and started to focus on sharing his Chaos energy with it.

Amy smiled as she watched the Ultimate Life Form share his life energy with the egg. Seeing him care for it brought a warm feeling beneath her chest. She was proud to see this side of him. It was very heartwarming.

"You really are a great guy, Shadow." Amy said, causing the hedgehog to look at her.

"I just did what was necessary." Shadow replied with.

"I think it was more than just for necessity, and that's what makes you a great guy." Amy said with a warm smile and pair of eye smiles.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't help but develop a smile a moment later.

Chris witnessed the interaction between the two and safe to say it wasn't something he was comfortable seeing.

"Oh brother. Why couldn't they get a room without me in it?" Chris said with a frown.

"What was that?" Amy questioned as she gained a tick mark as her Piko Piko Hammer materialized in her hand.

"N-Nothing!" Chris quickly said with his hands up in defense.

One thing to note for the rest of your days is to never interrupt any tender moment that Amy Rose was a part of. That's a golden rule.

End of Chapter 5

Like the other chapters, I made this one month ago during the Sonic x Shadow Generations and Sonic 3 rush I was under. I originally planned to release this on Valentine's Day, but I forgot since I was preoccupied. Oops.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was one I had looked forward to writing when I first started this story, and it didn't disappoint. I had a lot of fun.

Btw, for anyone who is more concerned with another story I have been writing, please try to keep from mentioning it when leaving a review. I have been going back to it here and there but night classes, sudden events and my ADD have been causing some speedbumps on the road. I plan on posting for that soon. This story hasn't taken a higher priority to it. So no need to get worried about its status. It isn't being abandoned. Far from it.

For those who came for this story in particular, again, I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter is the only one left that's been fully completed beforehand. Chapter 7 is where the real waiting will commence, especially since I am still trying to focus on another story and my personal life is pretty busy.

Anyway, I hope you'll be patient, because this story is still fun to write, and despite Fearless Year of Shadow being no more and Sonic 3 been out for months now with its hype having died down some, I still love ShadAmy and writing about it. Plus, I am still filled with excitement since Sonic 4 is coming out! Even if I have to wait a month and two years until it finally comes out. Still Excited!

See you next time!

Takeshi1225, Out!